Automatic oil indicator and feeder.



0. E. H ENKELMAN. AUTOMATIC OIL INDICATOR AND FEEDER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 11, 1913.

Patented Sept. 1

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES mom/Em C. E. HENKELMAN. AUTOMATIC OIL INDICATOR AND FEEDER.

APPLI OATION FILED APR.11, 1913.

Patented Sept. 1, 1914.

2 SHEE'1SSHEET 2.

111 w t g W WITNESSES CHARLES EDWARD HENKELMAN,

AENT @FFIQ,

F ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY.

AUTOMATIC OIL INDICATOR AND FEEDER.

Application filed April 11, 1913. Serial No. 760,440.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES E. HENKEL- MAN, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of Atlantic City, in thecounty of Atlantic and State of New Jersey, have invented a new andImproved Automatic Oil Indicator and Feeder, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to an improved automatic oil indicator and feederfor use on automobiles or gasolene motors employing a splash system oflubrication.

' In the splash system of lubrication, the oil is contained in the flywheel pit forming the lowest part of thecrank case, and in order todetermine whether the oil is at a proper height it is necessary to reachunder the car and open the lowermost ofa pair of petcocks provided onthe crank case, so that if the oil exudes therefrom it is found thatthere is sufiicient oil in the case. However, considerable annoyance iscaused by having too much or not enough oil in the case, which resultseither in the fouling of the spark plugs, excessive carbonizing due totoo much oil working past the piston, burning out of the bearings of themotor, or ruining of a persons clothes or the duster in reaching underthe fender to open the petcocks.

In carrying out my invention, it is my object to avoid the aboveobjections by providing an automatic oil indicator and feeder, whereintheopeiator will be positively informed at all times of the quantity ofoil in the motor, simply by inspection of an indicator located at thedashboard, and in which, when the oil recedes a predetermined level, oilwill be automatically supplied from a reserve tank and the supply outoff upon the oil reaching such level.

It is also an object to provide a mechanismof the above character whichshall be simple and .positive in operation, inexpensive and convenientof application to various types of gasolene motors, and unlikely to getout of working order.

\Vith the above and other objects in view, the invention resides moreparticularly in the peculiar combination and arrangement of parts whichWill be illustrated as a preferred embodiment in the accompanyingdrawings and described in the specification.

Reference is to be had to the accompany- Specification of LettersPatent.

. the crank case.

55 ing drawings forming a part of this speci Patented Sept. i, 1914;.

fication, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all. the views, and in which Figure 1 is avertical sectional view taken through the body of an automobile and the3; fly wheel pit of the crank case, and showing the manner of arrangingand connecting my improved automatic oil indicator and feeder thereto;Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view through the float chamberconstituting a part of the device for supplying the oil to the crankcase and operating the indicator and also disclosing the valve forcontrolling the supply of oil to the crank case;- Fig. 3 is a horizontalsectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. and looking downwardly; andFig. 4.- is a detail view of a modified operating arrangement for theindicator disclosing the amount or height of the oil in the crank case.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1, 2and 3 of the drawings, an automobile body 10 is shown having the usualflooring 11 and dashboard 12 upon which are mounted, in the usualmanner, the instrulnentalities for controlling the sparking circuit,speed of the car, etc. A side rail or beam of the car is indicated bythe numeral 13 the same being disposed in juxtaposition to the flangedportion 14 of the fly wheel pit 15 of the crank case.

The fly wheel pit adapted to contain oil in the usual manner for thelubrication of the Working parts, as in the well-known splash system,and in order to determine the height of the oil in the crank case thelatter or its fly wheel pit is provided with an upper petcock 16 and alower petcock 17, it being necessary to reach under the car in a mostunsatisfactory and objectionable manner, to open one of the petcocks,depending upon the height at which it is desired to maintain the oil, sothat if the oil exudes therefrom the proper height may be approximatedbut not accurately and definitely determined. The pit is also providedwith an outlet 18 usually closed by a plug, which is removable for thepurpose of draining and cleaning In obviating the necessity 1 ofemploying the petcocks 16 and 17 this plug is removed and an exteriorlythreaded pipe section 19 engaged in the outlet, and in turn havingconnected thereto a 3-way joint 20 having a depending outlet or passageclosed by a removable plug 21, which in this instance permits drainingand cleaning of the crank case.

Supported beneath the body of the car is a float chamber 22, the samebeing suspended by' means of a'depend'ing bracket 23 and preferablyconnected to the flange l4 and engaged at its lower end through anextension 24 of the base of the float chamber. The chamber is held inadjusted position by means of a binding screw 25 operating through theend of the extension 24 and frictionally contacting with the bracket,and in this manner the float chamber is capable of being readilysupported in position or removed.

this connection being made through a pipe or conduit 26 reniovablyconnected to the 3-way joint and the extensionof the base 27 of thefloat chamber. i

A float 28 is freely movable in the float .chamber, the latter beingpreferably of circular cross section, and this float carries avertically extending rod or stem 29 which is movable through a removablecap 30 of the chamber and also through the parts 11 and 14. The upperend of the rod or stem terminates at a suitable height in front of thedashboard to be conveniently seen, and said end carries a pointer 31cooperating With an indicator plate 32 carried by the.

- B. P. C. indicates that the oil is at the bottom or lower petcock 17when the pointer 31 is disposed in front of such markings. The Dangermark indicates when the oil has gone below the proper level, but sincethe oil will be automatically supplied to the crank case, this markingwill only be necessary when the supply of oilis lacking.

The means provided for automatically supplying the oil in the crank casethrough shoulder 34. This thimble the float chamber and for maintainingthe same at a constant level, consists of a thimble or sleeve 33 havinga closed inner end wall and an interiorly and exteriorly threaded outerend with an adjacent flange or is threaded through an aperture in oneside of the float chamber from the inside, so as to project outwardly ofthe chamber when the shoulder is in contact with the inner face thereof,

'thethimble being held in this position to form a liquid-tight joint bymeans of a jam The chamber communicates with the 3-way connection 20 atits lower end,

nut 35. A supply pipe 36 leads from an oil reserve reservoir 37 suitablycarried upon the car. i

The reservoir is provided with a supply pipe or by-pass tube 38 leadingfrom the bottom portion thereof and communicating with the supply pipe36, the flow of oil be-. ing controlled by a pet cook 39. The height ofthe oil in the reservoir 37 which reservoir is filled through an openingclosed by a plug 40, is ascertained by means of a glass gage 41 havingthe usual controlling valves and provided with a drain tube 42 which maylead to-the top petcock of the crank case to insure proper supply of theoil to the latter. The thimble 33 is provided with an escape opening 43in its top portiomproviding a surrounding conical valve seat normallyclosed by a valve 44. The stemof the valve 4 is vertically slidablethrough a depending guide 45 carried by the cap 30 of the float chamber,a nd the valve is held normally closed by springmeans, in the form of acoiled spring 46 mounted between the apertured portion of the guide andan enlargement of the stem so as to: exert downward pressure on thelatter.

' A standard or supporting arm 47 is provided near the inner end of thethimble and pivotally supports a plate-like lever 48,

which in turn has one arm pivotall connected to the valve stem and whichhas its other arm apertured to slidably engage the float rod or stem 29.This stem is threaded and has mounted thereon an adjustable stop or nut49 which may be vertically adjusted.

on the stem to regulate the time of opening the valve 44 when the oil inthe float chamber and crank case is at a certain or predetermined level,so that the oil will be sup plied to the chamber. Thus it will be seenthat since the oil in the float chamber and crank case is at the properlevel, the float will be elevated to raise the stop or nut 49 from thearm of the lever 48, whereby the spring 46 may act to close the valve43. During this time the pointer 31 will indicate on the indicator plate32 the level of the oil in the float chamber and crank case, but whenthe oil falls below a safe level, which may be predetermined byadjusting the nut 49 on the stem 29, the float will move downwardly inthe float chamber and when the nut 49 abuts the apertured arm of thelever 48 the valve will be opened by raising of its stem against theaction of the coiled spring 46 and the oil will flow into the floatchamber until the float, due to the buoyancy of the oil, will raise thenut 49 out of contact with the lever.

A modified form of indicator operating mechanism or device isillustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings, wherein the stem 29 is madeonlysufliciently long to permit proper adjustment of the nut 49 forcooperation inches or centimeters. Thus, when the floatwith the lever 48in opening the valve 43 and permitting it to close under the action ofthe spring 46, and in lieu of operating the pointer 31 by meansof thestem to portion of the float chamber has a lead-cit tube 50 whichcommunicates with a pressure gage 51 indicating the height of the oil inis elevated sufficient air pressure will be created in the top portionof the float chamber to operate the pressure gage, which, by reason ofthe provision of the lead-off tube, may be provided at any convenientplace or at the dashboard, in connection with cars with which theindicator mechanism heretofore described cannot be conveniently used.When the oil falls below a predetermined level, the suction or vacuumcreated in the float chamber by the downward movement of the float willrelease the pressure on the gage and the indication marked on same willbe distinctly brought to view to Warn the operator or chauffeur of thedanger in proceeding farther.

The materials used informing the float chamber can .be of any suitablemetal or glass, or a combination of metal and glass so that the oil inthe tube may be visible to the operator.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:-

l. In. an automatic oil indicator and feeder for gasolene engines, thecombination with a crank case and a vertically elongated supply chamberhaving communication therewith; of a float movable in the top chamberand buoyed up by the fluid therein, a stem connected to the floatextending vertically through the chamber; an indicator directlyconnected to the stem and operated by the rise and fall of the oil torender visible in front of the operator the amount of oil in the chamberand case, a supply pipe. for oil communicating with the chamber,

and means operated by the indicator operating means to supply oil to thechamber whefeby the oil is maintained at a constant leve An automaticoil indicator and feeder for the crank cases of motors, comprisingavertical chamber for containing a lubricant, pipe connections betweenthe chamber and the drain opening of the crank case, a float in thechamber and buoyed up by the lubricant therein. a pointer operated bythe rise and fall of the float in the chamber, a lubricant reserve tankleading into the chamber and having an outlet opening for supplying thelubricant therein, a valve normally clos ing in said opening, a stopcarried by the float, and a pivotal connection cooperating with thevalve and stop to automatically open the valve upon the fall of thefloat and permit the closing thereof upon the float 5 rising to apredetermined level.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES EDWARD HENKELMAN.

Witnesses JEssE A. Forum, CHAS. F. KAMMERER.

